Soft-ground horseshoe.



No. 762,021. PATENTED JUNE 7, 1904. L. BRIGHAM.

v SOFT GROUND HORSESHOB.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1904.

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No. 762,021. PATENTED JUNE 7, 1904. L. BRIGHAM.

SOFT GROUND HORSESHOE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 2, 1904.

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Patented June '7, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

LYSCOM BRIGHAM, OF DECATUR, MICHIGAN.

SOFT-GROUND HORSESHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,021, dated June 7, 1904. Application filed January 2,1904. Serial No. 187,396. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LYSCOM BRIGHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Decatur, in the county of Van Buren, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Soft- Ground Horseshoe, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to soft-ground horseshoes designed for attachment to the feet of horses to prevent them from unduly sinking into certain kinds of soil-such, for instance, as marsh-soil; and the invention more particularly relates to such shoes patented in the United States to me March 22, 1898, No. 600,960. Notwithstanding-the merits of said patented shoe above referred to I have found it too complicated for the most satisfactory service and too expensive owing to its many parts, the bolts and nuts in the attachments of which soon rust and become difificultto adjust and removeand frequently have to be cut out and replaced with new.

Hence the object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the shoes and greatly cheapen the production by providing the peculiarly-constructed parts and features below described.

A further object is to provide a shoe capable of reversing and using the other side up, by which means they will prove more desirable for use on swamp lands in the winter season in hauling off timber, since they are prevented from balling up with snow, as now constructed, there being a large demand for this soft-ground shoe in some parts of the country at the present time. Such a reversible soft-ground shoe being smooth on one side will also fill the demand for use when horses are employed in mowing lawns and other grounds of which it is undersirable to cut up the surface with the ordinary calk-shoes of the horse.

Many other advantages attained by the user with these new improvements I need not here enumerate. Hence I will proceed to describe the construction in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved soft-ground shoe attached to the foot of ahorse; Fig. 2, a section on dotted line 0 c in Fig. 3 looking from a point below; Fig. 3, a plan of the soft-ground shoe in Fig. 1, the foot of the horse and the attaching means being removed; Fig. 4, the broken toe of the foot of the horse and connections in Fig. 1, parts being in section on the short dotted line a c in Fig. 3 looking from a point below; Fig. 5, a front elevation of the attaching bail parts, partly broken away and one of the adjustable and detachable bail ends enlarged looking from a point at the righthand in Fig. 1; Fig. 6, abroken view of righthand partof Fig. 5 looking from a point at the left; Fig. 7 an enlarged elevation of the ribbed side of one of said bail ends, a broken section of the soft-ground shoe being in section on dotted lines ssin Fig. 3 looking from a point above; Fig. 8, a reverse view to that of Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 is the broken lower end of Fig. 7 showing it in different position.

Referring to the parts of the drawings pointed out by numerals, 9 illustrates the foot of a horse provided with the ordinary calkshoe l0 and is attached to the upper surface of the soft-ground shoe 11 in Fig. 1. I have found by experience in the use of these shoes and in supplying the trade that whatever size the foot of the horse may be it should occupy a given place on the shoe 11. Hence a regular and fixed point on the shoe 11 common to the toe of all horses feet is desirable regardless of size. To this end I integrally form on the large plate of the shoe 11 a semicircular anchor-lug 14. Its bowed surface is to the front, and the inner concave surface of the calk-shoe 10 at the toe comes againstit, as in Fig. 4. The upper side of this lug 14 may be rounded at 51, as in Figs. 1 and 2, if desired. Thus with this fixed point at which to anchor the foot 9 I tie the latter to the shoe 11 with a downward and rearward purchase 0r leverage, which I accomplish with the use of the bail parts 12 and bail 13, as will appear farther on.

The plate of the shoe 11 is provided with a forward hole 15 to admit the forward calk 16 of the calk-shoe 10, Figs. 3 and 4, and with rear holes 17 to admit the rear calks 18, as heretofore, in order to allow the body part 19 of the calk-shoe 10 to sit firmly on the shoe 11, and in order that the nails used in attaching the calk-shoe 10 to the foot 9 shall notinterfere the surface of the shoe 11 is provided with light ribs 20, 21, and 22, upon which the shoe l0 rests. Fig. 4 shows the rib beneath the calk-shoe 10 and between the calk 16 and anchor-lug 14. The plate of the shoe 11 is provided on each side with a T-slot 23 and 24, Figs. 3, 7, and 8, to receive the lower inverted-T ends 25 of the bail ends 13.

The shoe 11 is what we style smooth 0n the uppersurface, for it has no flange like the slight one on the lower surface around the edge, and the lug 14 and ribs 20, 21, and 22 are so slight that they have no serious effect on the lawn when the shoe is reversed and used on the lawn with said upper surface down. The flanged surface is of course used when plowing. This flange 50 appears in Figs. 1, 2, and 4. It will be observed that the lower surface of the shoe 11 is provided with an anchor-lug 27 just like and directly under anchor-lug 14, and with a rib 28 under rib 20, and with ribs 29 (not seen) and 30 under ribs 21 and 22. Thus when the shoe 11 is used with the bottom surface upward the lug and ribs of said surface bear the same relation to the calk-shoe 10 and foot 9 that the lug 14 and ribs 20, 21, and 22 do when the shoe 11 is used with the surface upward. (Shown in Fig. 1.) The anchor-lug 27 is not shown in Fig. 4 nor is the rib 28, it being deemed less confusing and not necessary.

The bail 12 in its position and its effect in binding the foot 9 is similar to the bail in my former patent referred to above, but the present bail, with its bail ends 13 virtually forming a part of the bail,shows important changes and improvements. The bails 12 at the lower end on the inside next to the foot 9 are provided with recesses or grooves 30 31, Figs. 5, 6, to adjustably and dctachably receive the upper end of the ribs 32 33, with which the bail ends are provided. These ribs are provided with a series of adjusting-holes 34, and a spring-key 35 is inserted into the hole 36 of the bail 12 and into one of the holes 34, according to the size of the foot 9. As here shown, the spring-key 35 is in the middle one.

of the holes 34. Each side of the ribs 32.33 the bail ends 13 are provided with flanges 37 38, making the side of said rib ends next to and against the foot 9 smooth and with a broad bearing-surface. The rib ends 13 bow forward to conform to the pitch or downward slant of the foot 9, and they bow toward said foot to conform to its convexity. The ribs and flanges terminate just above the upper surface of the shoe 11, Figs. 1, 7, 8, and in the latter figures it will be seen that the flange on the side in the direction in which the bail end 13 leans, this being forward, terminates at a point higher than the flange on the other side, this being to allow the bail ends to lean forward.

The heads of the inverted-T ends 25 are set obliquelythat is, the end 40 is lower than the end 41 when the bail ends 13 are in an upright position, as Fig. 9 endeavors to show. The object of this is to also allow the bail end to lean or tilt forward, as otherwise the under surface of the shoe 11 would prevent it. The sides 42 43 of the heads of T ends 25 are slanting, as in Figs. 5, 7, 8, 9, leaving an apex 44, Fig. 5, to allow the bail ends 13 to readily tilt in either lateral direction when binding or releasing the foot 9. The stem 45 of the inverted-T ends 25, forming a neck of the bail ends 13, is of a thickness, Figs. 7 and 8, to slide laterally in the stem 46 of the T-slots 23 24 and a thickness much wider than this in the lateral direction, as Fig. 5 shows, to prevent the bail ends from turning in their slots. When the bail ends 13 are attached, they are passed up through the T-slots 23 24, the head of the T admitting the flanges 37 38. Then when the bail ends are slid back to the position they occupy when the shoe 11 is attached to the foot 9 they cannot drop out, fall over, nor turn, and for fear they might accidently slide back to the head of the T-slot, as when being shipped and drop out, or when laying about unused and become lost, I insert a spring-key 47 in the hole 48 of the bail end, Figs. 1 and 5, above the upper surface of the shoe 11. The bail parts 12 are held together at the upper end over the foot 9 by bolt 49.

Of great advantage is the speed and convenience, with which the shoe 11 can be attached and detached when about to commence work or leave off. To detach them, merely pull out the spring-key 35 on one side only. When the workman with a team returns to the field, he will find all parts ready in their place with the bail ends standing for conven iently coupling to, as Figs. 7 or 8 will serve to illustrate, by the replacing of the springkey 35. To easily effect this attachment, the bolt 49 can first be loosened and then tightened. WVhen reversing the soft-ground shoe 11-that is, turning the smooth surface down for mowing lawns or in the marsh Winters the bail parts 12 and their bail ends 13 are re versedthat is, changed to the other side of the shoe in order that their double bows or curves will fit the curve and slant of the foot as they did when the shoe 11 was the other surface up.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A soft-ground horseshoe, consisting of a large plate of metal provided at each side with the T-slots; bail parts with grooved ends; detachable and adjustable bail ends having the rib and flanges and being bowed in the two directions, said bail parts and bail ends being provided with the keyholes, and the springkeys for detachable insertion in said keyholes, substantially as set forth.

2. A soft-ground shoe consisting of the metal plate provided at the sides with T-slots, bail parts and bail ends flanged and ribbed and bowing in the two directions, said bail ends being provided beneath the plate with oblique-angled inverted-T ends, substantially as set forth.

3. The metal plate provided with the integral lug in the position to anchor the toe of the shoe on the foot of the horse, calk-slots in position for the front and rear calks, ribs for supporting the calk-shoe, and T-slots one at each side thereof, combined with the bail parts, detachable bail ends ribbed and flanged, one flange shorter than the other, and provided at their lower ends with oblique inverted-T ends, substantially as set forth.

In testimony of the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

LYSCOM BRIGHAM. Witnesses:

W. M. DE YoE, LUoIUs 0. WEST. 

